This invention relates to sailboats and more particularly to apparatus for providing the means to enable a small boat such as a kayak that is normally propelled by other means to be optionally propelled by wind power.
Kayaks are normally propelled by paddles. They are light in weight to be easily transportable. They have a low center of gravity and low vertical clearance to enhance their adaptability to various boating conditions. There are situations where it would be desirable to have a sail attached for wind propulsion. It would be awkward to have the mast and sail in position for most of the time when using a small boat such as a kayak, or when transporting it.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a means for attaching a sail to a small boat such as a kayak, a canoe, or a skiff. It is another object that the device be easily removed for transport or for non-sail use. It is another object to provide a mast and sail that may be erected and deployed for use by a boater without requiring the boater to move from the usual boater position. It is yet another object that the sail and mast may be lowered out of the way for ordinary non-sail use without requiring the boater to move from the usual boater position. The boater may thus enjoy boating without interference from the mast or sail as desired, including paddling the vessel while in the sailing mode.
These and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become more apparent when the detailed description is studied in conjunction with the drawings in which like elements are designated by like reference characters in the various drawing figures.